I was out with my friend, Kasey at a club in Chicago; one that I had never heard of before. The two of us were on a weekend trip, only an hour away from where the both of us were going to school. It was my annual end-of-the-semester celebration. So, naturally, I was going all out.
We both wore little black dresses, mine with sequins. The pink heels I wore were almost unwalkable, but I still managed.
On the dance floor, Kasey and I were dancing with one guy each. I was dancing with a blonde named James. Kasey was dancing with a guy named Ryder. My friend and Ryder had already made out a few times, but I wasn't really into James.
"I'm gonna grab a drink." I told James, trying my best to be heard over the loud music.
He stopped dancing. "I'll come with you."
I shook my head. "I'm okay. Keep dancing, I don't want to keep you from your night!" I left before he could put up a protest, after gesturing to Kasey that I were getting another drink.
Pushing my way through the sweaty crowd, I finally found the bar. The bartender, however, was a little tied up with another, much larger group. There were around 15 guys surrounding the bartender, who was pouring drinks as quickly as he could. They were ordering basically five of everything on the drink menu.
I sat down on one of the stools, because it looked like I would be waiting a while. As I sat, listening to them talk and occasionally sneaking a glance at their toned arms, you realized who they were. Holy crap, I was sitting next to the Chicago Blackhawks! In fact, their captain was the man sitting next to me.
The guys were laughing and having a good time, letting out a few cheers every once and a while. I watched Jonathan occasionally, eyeing him in his casual t-shirt and dark jeans. He was the last one to order his drink, making sure that his teammates were happy before he helped himself, and I liked that he wasn't being sloppy like some of the other guys in the bar. As much as I enjoyed nights out, the typical guys you saw in bars were never your type. He didn't act like all the rest.
With that, Jonathan finally spoke. He ordered a beer, a simple man. The bartender went to pour it, but first, Jonathan added to his order. "I'll buy whatever the lady beside me wants, too." He said, pointing to me.
My heart did a little flutter. "That's nice of you, but you don't have to." I said to him, my face red and flustered.
He smiled back. "We just won a big hockey game. I feel like spreading the love. Besides, you waited patiently for these tools to get their fix." He replied, pointing to the group of guys who were all laughing with one another.
I was flattered, even nervous, but his genuine smile relaxed me. "Well, thank you and congrats on the win." I almost idiotically gushed. The coloured lights of the club flashed on his face, from pink to blue. The skin on his face was smooth, with tiny hairs along his jaw bone poking through, which looked almost like a beard. Almost.
"Thank you. I'm Johnny, by the way." He stuck his hand out, to shake with mine, which would have made me laugh if he weren't so darn cute about it.
"I know." I giggled. "I'm a fan. But you can call me TJ." I put my hand in his and shook it. His hand was firm and strong.
"Alright, TJ, you better order quick. Or else the boys will finish their drinks and occupy the bartender for another round, and then you might have to wait all night."
I had already forgotten about my drink, his presence overwhelming me. "Oh, shit, sorry." I shook your head back into consciousness. "I'll get a raspberry martini, please." I ordered from the bartender.
Johnny took a sip of his beer and chuckled. The bartender handed me my drink and I thanked both him and Johnny.
"Laughing at my choice of drink?" I asked with an eyebrow raise, putting the glass to my lips, taking a sip.
He shook his head. "No. I was laughing because you're flustered, and it's cute." He gave me a small smile, suddenly shy.
He was a charmer. "Do you buy every girl at the club a drink?" I asked him, playfully, leaning in.
He replied only with a laugh, and an accompanying smirk, with one side of his lips curled upward that created a crease in his cheek. The way he cupped his beer, in his right hand with his elbow on the bar table, made it so that his bicep muscles were visible under his plain grey t-shirt.
Suddenly, the rest of the team got off their seats.
"Time to dance, boys!" Said one of the guys, who I recognized to be Andrew Shaw. He patted Johnny's shoulders. "Let's go, game winner!" He cheer.
Johnny rolled his eyes, humbly ignoring the praise, as Andrew left for the dance floor. "Do you want to dance with us?" He asked me, shy again.
"Did you scored the game winner?" I asked, getting off my seat, not even bothering to verbally respond to a silly question like his.
He shrugged. "It was a good pass." He said, taking my hand, leading me to the dance floor. The two of us left the empty glasses of our drinks, that had started it all, at the bar.
And then the two of us danced, with the lights flashing, crowd moving. The team danced beside us, teasing the both of us every once and a while, after introducing themselves. I managed to find Kasey in the crowd, too, and she joined you both, with the guy she had been dancing with earlier. The whole time, Johnny's hand never left my waist, and I liked it that way.
Near the end of the night, he leaned in real close, so that he could be heard over the thumping music. "To answer your question; no, I don't buy every girl at the club a drink. Just the ones I want to get to know better." His breath was hot on my ear.
I smiled, getting chills all over. "And did you get what you wanted?"
He smiled back, his forehead on mine. He shook his head. "Not yet."
The first kiss was slow and sweet, like he wasn't sure. Then, his lips left mine for a moment, so that he could see me, to find out if I wanted him to stop. I only smiled, reassuringly, so he came back for more.
The boys cheered again, pumping their fists. There were two winners that night.
